COTE D' IVOIRE: DIFFICULT DECISIONS

The events in the west African states of Cote D' Ivoire Presidential elections have shown once again that those who do not learned from history are doomed to repeat it.

Cote D' Ivoire (Formerly Ivory-Coast changed its name in the early 90's).

Felix Houphouet –Boigny, ruled Ivory-Coast since Independence from France in August, 1960—1993. Boigny's was a father figure whose word is law to his country men and women during his reign of sole authority, virtually without any opponent in one party presidential government; under the veteran leader's rule has brought economic stability and increasing corruptions in the administration.

The incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo came to power in a classic style, years after the death of the country's founding father Papa-Boigny and there was power struggle for the presidency between Henry Konan Bedie, former President and Alassane Quattara was then incumbent Prime-Minister of the Ivory-Coast and appeared to assumed the interregnum in the world's largest cocoa producer.

Bedie, who was at the time of Boigny's passage the president of the Ivorian National Assembly, had the backing of the constitution, and even the Supreme Court on his side. Immediately veteran opposition leader Quattara withdrew in the interest of peace and stability, and went to pick up a senior position as Deputy Managing Director at the International monetary fund in the United States of America, and he had been also Governor of the West African Central Bank.

During Bedie popular protest and demand for change were violently suppressed before constitutional change was conceded.

Cote D' Ivoire was a regional champion in the Francophone's and since the enigmatic leader of Ivory Coast demise there was no credible leader to step into his shoe. Overtime had split the country into civil war 2002-2003 and unified in 2007 respectively

Despite Gbagbo at the saddle of power since 2002 in the former francophone nation 70% of the people of Cote D;Ivoire live on less than a dollar a day. Now, with the war over, the first presidential elections, conducted and won by the foremost Ivorian opposition leader Allassane Quattara, the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo had bluntly refused to accept the result of the Ivorian Independent Electoral Commission in November 28,2010.

In an unprecedented move to tackle opposition, Gbagbo continued to claimed the victory of Quattara was fraudulent, describing it a coup d, etat against the people of Cote D;Ivoire that he was the real winner of this election; that ballot boxes in Northern part of Ivory Coast had been stuffed and that his supporter 's been excluded from polling stations during the count.

The bad news is that, unpredictable Ivorian leader; Gbagbo had also ordered a crackdown on his regime's political opponents, including physical elimination of the enemies of the states. Since then, several Quattara's supporters had been murdered in Abidjan according to Human Rights Watch, the United States based human rights, advocacy and Amnesty International, had accused the embattled Ivorian government of human rights abuses.

The near hopelessness political woes not check will plunge or consumed the little stability been enjoyed since the end of the war. The election was an important step toward democratic ruled for this unsettled country and could also be crucial for the entire sub-region and the west.

Since, the stand off, the Ivorian government had urged her citizen to stand-up and protect the territorial integrity of the state. But there was still plenty of bluster left in the whole scenario.

Some analysts view Cote D'Ivoire as potentially a more dangerous flash point. Calling for the internationally isolated incumbent Laurent Gbagbo to step aside, that the elections had showed his popularity through ballot box.

Domestic problems provide dangerous breeding grounds for insecurity and poor leadership and incompetentency ending will plunge the state into anarchy. President Gbagbo accused western governments of being behind the political crisis in his country. They had warned foreign agency or aids living Cote d' Ivories' to return to their homeland immediately. Such behaviors are unbecoming of a president and can not be tolerated.

Overtime, the political cry in the regional group ECOWAS is to get rid of the hypocritical anti- human rights leader who had ignores the wish of the ordinary electorates and basis for their passions is to guarantee a genuine democratic state.

Meanwhile, Diplomatic push by the ECOWAS and African Union (AU) to Gbagbo has kept him isolated and asked him cede power to Quattara or face military intervention force.As a former Ecomog veteran in the west African states of Liberia and Sierra-Leone for the enthronement of peace during the brutal civil-war in the region; there is enough lessons to be learn from the military intervention. The cost of live of Nigerian troops and the effect of the economy. The Nigerian government should not be in a hurry to move to move in troops to flush out Gbagbo in order to impress the international communities that Nigeria is a regional –power.

If we, remembered during the years of Ecomog campaigns it was only Ghana stood behind Nigerian government, while almost all the Francophone countries, apart from Guiean-Conakry,to assist with troops and materials to wade off rebel advances, for now economic sanctions should be the best option. While. Cote d'Ivoire's presidential claimant had hole-up in an hotel guarded by the United Nation's forces station in Abidjan.

Quattara he had campaigned on a pledge to build a united country that he was not just a figure-head. Ivorian need a leader that it will deserves, not Gbagbo anti people ruler.

For how long African states will be free from local tyrant or sit-tight rulers at power, making our freedom at stake, whatever happens, Laurent Gbagbo must not be allowed to stay, in government- a good leader should lay good example.

That show the activities of Gbagbo's government are sterile, corrupt and inaugurate. The people have had enough that is why he was voted out for a better choice; a leader requires a psychological foundation that will position the country in the face of a problem.

As an African, is very painfully to see why some of our leaders behave the way they do, creating man-made problems that other countries or societies strive to provide urgent solutions to. Presently Ivorian refugee's population in neighboring countries had surge.

The president is a leader who conceives an idea and keenly seeks to make its reward come true through democratic governance. The shameful act of Gbagbo had shown how African tyrant's rules through iron-fist.

Ivory coast is immensely rich in natural resources could be used to raise the standard of millions of Ivoirian's who currently experiences abject poverty, due to lack of good governance by those who professed to be democratic.

Democracy can be only exist in places where the masses, the electorates are free to choose those who rule them. It is also vital that its ground rules be respected by all concerned and that no one should be able to use universal suffrage to gain power and then deprive others of access to power.

Anti-democratic leader Gbagbo should be human and fair to his people and be relevant with the rights of the individuals, inorder to defend the territorial integrity. In selecting or voting presidents, foreign parentage or Ivorian nationality clause or tag has been used by the Ivorian politicians to exclude against over millions of people in Northwest region, Thus Burkinabe and Malian's who came to work on cocoa plantation during the colonial and post colonial era; This action is viewed in the North as an attempt at preventing it's candidates from assuming power, and it may be a basis for rejecting the polls result.

Already, the Ivorian dictator supporters, the forces of oppression have boasted that they would not permit any government not of their taste to assume power in the country because of the ethnic sentiments as Gbagbo and its ally in political deceit have decided to ignore the wish of the masses and ride rough shod over the interests of the entire Ivorian populace.

As observed with sadness and anger over the altitude of Gbagbo behaviour, I feel sorry for his once peaceful country. The situation is uneasy because the blockade and threat to life of the president elect Quattara and his loyal supporters had been a source of worry by democratic forces to disrupt the new government recognized by United nation's, AU European Union as the winner. if selfish power monger Gbagbo does not accept the results of the elections, Ivory-Coast is mostly likely to slip into war.

The United Nation's has condemned Ivory-Coast for the way it has been handling it political crisis ,but it might be pertinent here to state that the international community should not just watch to see how Gbagbo and his few supporters will manipulate the situation in the country to their advantage like Kenya and South African state of Zimbabwe; so that he remain in the corridor of powers as if they created to be entrenched leaders of their countries forever, President Laurent Gbagbo feel will be hard act to follow the path of handling over is laughable –what happened to Kaunda of Zambia and Moi of Kenya when they lost elections. Gbagbo should take a cue from the late Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena who in his last day in Bucharest's central palace ordered security forces to use deadly force against innocent protesters in 17 December, 1979 and the late Shah of Iran, Mohhamed Pahlavi and his secret police lost Iran in 1979, when anarchy brought the country close to civil-war and ruin. The late Shah underrated existence about Iranian opposition to his regime which when erupted caught every one surprise, not because the opposition is weak or didn't exist but because no one considered it a challenge to the Shah's stability, Ferdinand Marcos of Philippines, Late Emperor Jean Bedel- Bokassa of defunct Central African Empire now Republic and recently The peoples power overthrown of the Tunisian dictator .

This concepts of democracy is dangerous for democracy; failure to accept results of the elections. This shown mere existence of political parties and unacceptable by lover of democracy.

I call on African governments to take stock and change direction towards less government, that democracy can only survive against the agent of the barrel of the gun by means of increasing the efforts to protect its core value against the ever-present anti-democratic norms corruptions, but more accountable to the people .

I urge the international criminal court authorities, the prosecutor to investigate Ivoirian's post election violence carry out by Gbagbo and other officials responsible for crime against humanity.

JINBOBARAYE KARIBO-NELSON, JP
A social commentator and Ecomog veteran wrote in from Ogu Town, Port Harcourt,Nigeria